Month: July 2014

Janet, A Success Story. July 17. #TSJ Smoke and Fire

The big “Fun Day” Connect had planned for today was cancelled at the last minute as Interior Health issued an air quality advisory due to a lot of smoke in the area. There are a number of forest fires burning in the province and we’ve had smoky skies for a few days but no fires in the Kelowna area until this afternoon.

Fire across the lake to the west of us.

Fire across the lake to the west of us.


Janet and I clearly could see this one on the other side of the lake from us as it started during our drive home. As I write, over 2500 homes have been evacuated and Janet and I have offered the spare room we have to anyone that may need it.

Janet was not at all upset with the cancellation of Fun Day and thought she might be able to come home sooner but I convinced her to stay and get her exercises done and Garrett said she did great at all of them. When we got home we took the dog for a walk and that must’ve convinced Janet it was hot enough to go swimming because she accepted my suggestion with no argument. It also helped that we met Bonnie on her way to the pool and Janet always feels more confident when friends are around. Getting into and out of the pool was OK, a couple of slips but that’s why I’m there. After the initial shock of the 30 degree water Janet got comfortable and swam really well both on her back and tummy. I’m the one that needs to regain confidence so that she can swim more freely.

First time in the pool!

First time in the pool!


Initially we left the AFO and water shoes on but I think next time we’ll go without to prevent the slipping and make it easier to swim. Janet really enjoyed the swim and it set her up for a nice cool nap before dinner.

Our evening was quiet as we monitored the fire situation and watched So You Think You Can Dance. Both of our contestants are safe and Janet’s continues to be a stand out.

Praying for a safe night for those in the fire zone and for restful sleep for Janet leading to a productive Friday.

Janet, A Success Story. July 16. #TSJ Dining Out

Another surprise phone call from Janet this morning, this one at 9:45 as she waited for Mary Lou’s Speech class. Janet had just practiced reading The Hallo Wiener and seems to be gaining confidence in her ability to read it. There were lots of laughs during our conversation and I’m happy Janet thinks to call on her own now.

The Connect bus ride to The Asian Pear was uncomfortably hot, even for Janet, as the A/C was not working on the bus. When I went onboard to help her off, sweat droplets poured off her right arm from under her splint and her back was pretty wet. 40 degrees and no A/C will do that. The heat didn’t affect anyone’s appetite though as the group took advantage of the “all you can eat” format. Even Janet had seconds, of vegetables of course.

A very "full" house.

A very “full” house.


It was a good outing for everyone and the return trip was much nicer for some as Janet and I took Wes and Angie (those without wheelchairs) in our air conditioned car which they greatly appreciated.
Who says 4 o'clock is the hottest time of day.

Who says 4 o’clock is the hottest time of day.


Our evening was spent creating our weekend grocery list and reading in addition to practicing for the Connect Fun Day tomorrow. Janet is all against it of course so in order to get her to sign up for some games I had to prove to her how well she can throw things. We still have the little basketball we used to play catch with in Rehab so I had her throw that at me a few times and as expected she has a cannon. She is signed up for the bean bag toss, ladder ball and bocci. I expect medals.

Praying Janet sleeps well tonight and has a positive attitude for a fun Thursday.

Janet, A Success Story. July 15. #TSJ

To further prove the progress Janet is making I witnessed her make a phone call without any help at all using her iPhone. She methodically performed each step and successfully called me as I sat a few meters away from her. I haven’t been coaching her on the use of her phone much and she’s not getting many calls either so I’m not sure how she figured this out but even she was quite happy about it.

Happy was the word of the week for Games Night and the mood Janet was in all day I think. The exercises went well according to her and were completed before lunch. Jess took her for some routine blood work and Janet didn’t even complain about that, probably because it got her out of the air conditioning for awhile. Even her toileting went well today.

After her nap and setting the dinner table we sat outside and chatted for forty five minutes. Twenty minutes into that we were both sweating but Janet was determined not to go back in until she had to. She did go in for dinner then went right back out again after to warm up.

Games Night was the closest thing to unhappy for Janet today as everyone seemed a little off their game tonight. It was still good she went and the trip upstairs was a good walking workout. She asked me to help her walk to get her meds after that, I said no but I’d walk with her, and instead of refusing to go at all, Janet told me not to bother and off she went on her own. Love it!

Praying that Janet sleeps well tonight and has lots of energy for a productive Wednesday. She’s already excited about the house trip to The Asian Pear for dinner.

Janet, A Success Story. July 14. #TSJ

There were no Monday blahs for Janet today as she bounced right back into her rehab routine. All her exercises were done by lunchtime and she was up from her nap by the time I arrived at 3:30. Not what I was expecting but nice to see.

After catching up on the day’s activities Janet knew it was her turn to set the dinner table so off she walked to the kitchen. I was really impressed with her walking today, the confidence level seems to be growing daily and I think she’s speeding up a little too. Her table setting session was excellent as she needed to physical assistance and minimal coaching on what she had to put out and where it all went. With that chore completed Janet had time to sit in the living room and chat with Wes who just returned from two weeks in Saskatchewan. She was quite excited to see Wes and hear about his trip. It was a good conversation.

Independence is creeping up on Janet whether she likes it or not. She verbalizes a desire for help with a lot of things but increasingly is becoming more assertive, like refusing to go swimming, and tonight not wanting to read to me. I thought she’d be open to reading The Hallo Wiener to me since its her goal to read it to some kids in October. No way. And not in a whiny pouty way, she just didn’t want to read it to me saying she practices it on her own and that is fine. I did kind of trick her into reading a paragraph from another book and she did extremely well with that. She read even the far right hand side of each line, something she often neglects. More improvement.

Part of Janet’s duties for the evening was to do a little laundry and that enabled her to get lots of walking in without it seeming like I was making her walk for no reason. She uses anything and everything she can hold onto along the way but like I said before it seems to be really building her confidence and abilities. I left her alone for more than half of her trip to the med room tonight and she had no problems at all and once again got all her med questions right with no hints. Janet also gave me another awesome recap of her day after getting into bed in addition to telling me whats on her schedule tomorrow. Brilliant!

Praying for an excellent night of sleep and a productive Tuesday.

Janet, A Success Story. July 13. #TSJ Heat

Janet and I had a good weekend, mostly very positive with one lingering negative that I hope we can resolve soon.

We are in the midst of a heat wave here, 40C today, and not even Janet is complaining about the A/C being on. I still can’t convince her to go swimming though, she’s hung up on not being able to walk “like a regular person” and looking “weird”. Next weekend, if we have time, I’m just going to tell her we’re going and see what happens.

Friday, we spent most of our time getting ready for our dinner guests. Janet insisted on making a carrot cake for dessert and I agreed as long as she helped. Her confidence and abilities in the kitchen continue to increase and this cake turned out better than the first one. Heidi and Jack joined us for a very nice evening of conversation and food. Janet was engaged the whole time and was a huge help in getting everything ready. That seemed to make the evening even more special for her but begin able to host two people that have been a huge support from day one was cool. Thanks for being you, Heidi and Jack.

Saturday had us visiting John just before his lunchtime. Janet remembered he wanted us to bring him a “double double” from Tim Horton’s so we did and boy was he happy about that! I’m glad we could cheer him up. Church was the one negative of the weekend, not the service at all, but the “accident” Janet had with three minutes left. I was mad because she gave me the old “I didn’t want to leave in the middle of the sermon” excuse and I don’t know how to get her to stop thinking that something else is more important than going to the bathroom. A work in progress. We turned things back to the positive side after we got home by walking down to Gyro Beach for a picnic dinner then a walk along the lakefront before getting home for ice cream. Being out at the beach at 9 o’clock at night in 30C weather is why we moved here. Love it.

Today was a little extreme, I’ll have to admit. 40C, even Janet was sweating a little, but still loving it. After Skype chats with Brittney and Leslie I dropped Janet off at Wendy and Tim’s house where a bridal shower was being held for a family friend, Amy. Janet was excited to attend as I guess she likes hanging out with other women and I’m glad she got the chance.

Nora, Janet, Amy

Nora, Janet, Amy


She told me after that she spoke a little to the group and “everyone was really nice to me”. The relationships that Janet is building within our community are helping her rehab a lot. We are blessed.

With the heat and lack of time for a nap, Janet was pretty tired heading into dinner time but still managed to help and did a good chunk of her help standing at the Island. After the prep work was done Janet mustered enough energy to Skype with Andrew and they seemed to enjoy talking tennis.

I sometimes get a little discouraged and frustrated with the pace of Janet’s recovery but I can look back on this weekend and see notable improvements like her being able to stand and work at the Island. Her walking around the house was slower but she did way more of it and never complained or asked for help once. Her stair work is greatly improved and we went on our first outside walk together. Janet walked holding my hand for five houses away from ours before we turned around and walked back. I can remember back in the KGH days saying to her I wanted to go for walks with her again. It’s starting!

Praying for a cool night of sleep for us all and that Janet has lots of energy and a positive attitude for the week ahead.

Janet, A Success Story. July 10. #TSJ

Today was get away day for Janet and when I got to Connect to pick her up I could tell she had been focused on that all day. She was deliberate in telling me she had just finished the Standing Frame and was ready to go. Since she was headed for the dentist I insisted she brush her teeth before we leave and that also gave her a chance to walk down the hall, something she hadn’t done much of today. She knew to stop by the med room to get her meds for the weekend and from what I could tell she performed that task well.

Janet has been doing a great job of brushing her teeth and I floss for her every night so we were both surprised when the dentist showed us three cavities in Janet’s mouth. He says they are likely leftovers from her hospital days and just took this long to show up. Hopefully that’s the end of them. All else is good in that department and Janet blew their minds by walking into the office freestyle all the way to the exam chair. The folks there have been very supportive since day one so it was nice for them to see Janet’s amazing physical progress up close.

Exchanging nap time for sun time Janet enjoyed some warmth before helping me make dinner. I could get real use to cooking like this. She’s more of a help each time and as planned we walked down to Menchie’s for a frozen yogurt later on.

First Menchie's #selfie

First Menchie’s #selfie


It’s a fun and smiley place for sure and we’ll be back as a treat from there goes to the winner of our So You Think You Can Dance bet. We watched this week’s episode tonight and Janet’s contestant out performed everyone we thought with mine doing OK. They both survived the first cut.

Praying for a restful night of sleep that provides lots of energy for a fun Friday.

Remember, there will be no posts now until late Sunday night unless events warrant. Peace.

Janet, A Success Story. July 9. #TSJ Video, Speed Walking

Janet’s day was pretty routine for the first half. She reported to me that she “did everything and it was all good”. Her pendant alarm rang as soon as I got to Connect so I went straight to her room where she was getting up from her nap and needed to go to the bathroom. Without her AFO and shoes on it’s not possible for her to walk on her own so she needs help and is really good at asking for it now. Once dressed, Janet walked well all the way to the patio where we stayed through dinner as the A/C was too cold inside. I will admit I turned the A/C on at our house today for the first time, as by 11 o’clock this morning it was over 28 degrees inside and that’s too warm even for me.

I thought with the heat I’d be able to convince Janet to go for a swim in the lake but she wasn’t having anything to do with that. It was all I could do just to get her feet in the water. It’s a start.
JanetWoodLake
We spent a lot of time planning things tonight. One thing I try to involve Janet in each week is the meal planning at home. She helps decide what the dinners will be and helps create a shopping list with me. Doing that could be a chore but thankfully Janet seems to enjoy begin involved in the decision making and appreciates each meal more when it happens as she had some input into it. We also try to plan some of our activities for when she is home and I think tomorrow evening we are finally going to get to try Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt. MMMM.

You haven’t gotten to see Janet walk for a while so I thought I’d give you a quick peak. Last night she flat out refused to go get her meds without me, tonight she never even asked me, she just got up and walked away. This is her making the return trip in record time.


Impressive huh? For reference, that walk really took just under three minutes.

Janet asked to go to bed a little early tonight so we’d have more time to read Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret. We did and she laughed a lot and continues to really enjoy it which is maybe why she remembers it so well. Each night before I read I ask her to tell me what happened the previous night and since we started this book she’s been bang on.

Praying for a good night of sleep and an energetic Thursday.

Janet, A Success Story. July 8. #TSJ Mobility equals Power

Dr. Miller was once again full of praise for Janet during their meeting this morning and she really seems to value his opinion. Janet did a great job filling him in on the wedding and travel adventures, speaking clearly with no struggle to find key words. Janet made the trip with no wheelchair and walked from the waiting area into Dr. Miller’s office unassisted. She left the same way after securing another speaking engagement. Dr. Miller invited Janet to speak to his Neuropsychology class at UBCO in March. She is all for it and is really starting to gain an appreciation for sharing her story.

Trips to KGH like that take up the entire morning so by the time Janet and Jess got back to Connect it was lunchtime. There was a little time for a bike ride before nap time which was very short partly because it was so nice outside and partly because I showed up soon after Janet laid down. She negotiated what she thought was a good deal for herself, going for a long walk instead of doing The Shuttle, until she realized she would actually be walking. For some reason she thought I’d be pushing her in the wheelchair, anyways, she put in a great effort walking freestyle roundtrip from her room upstairs to the pool room and back. That got her sweating and hungry for dinner. Then it was my turn to get sweaty as we walked, this time with the wheelchair, down to the lake. Summer is in full swing here and Janet loved sitting by the water watching the little kids play in it. I think I may have succeeded in getting her to try a swim tomorrow! Hopefully.
JanetLake
Games night was quiet tonight with only four of the usual group there. Janet started strong but faded notably the last twenty minutes on account of that super short nap this afternoon. It was still a good brain exercise to go through and a good physical one walking back to her room.

Janet’s increased mobility has given her new found power. It used to be that even if she didn’t want to walk somewhere I just had to grab her hand and start walking and she had no choice but to follow along. Tonight she flat out refused to walk down and get her meds and since she’s walking on her own, she turned and plunked herself down on her bed and refused to move for a good fifteen minutes. When I agreed to stay close to her she headed out and I stayed at the halfway point and watched her. She did great and I could hear her once again correctly name her meds and what they are for. She’s better than she thinks she is.

Praying for a long and restful sleep that provides lots of energy for a fun Wednesday.

Janet, A Success Story. July 7. #TSJ

Getting back into her routine at Connect seemed easy for Janet today. She completed her exercises by lunchtime except for the Standing Frame and got some sun tanning time in before nap time. Yesterday I had asked her to check and see if Jess could drive her to the Dr. Miller appointment tomorrow and Janet remembered to do that. Her memory is steadily improving as is her walking ability. After helping her up from nap time I had her walk to the kitchen to set the table and she did so quicker and more confidently than ever. She did use the wall for security purposes a few times but it seems that letting her do that is actually building her confidence rather than making her dependant on that “crutch”. Janet got the table set in record time and made some really nice 180 degree turns in the process, something she has long struggled with.

Escaping to the warmth of the patio after her chore was done Janet and I hid out there until dinner was ready and Karl and Chelsea agreed to back off on the damn A/C. Janet continued her excellent walking after dinner before getting in the Standing Frame. After properly repairing her wheelchair we were able to go for a nice sunset walk around the neighbourhood. To end the day, Janet had one more round trip of walking to do to get her meds and even though she was getting tired she did very well. No signs of falling and a good steady pace. She was sweating by the time she got back to her room but I think happy with her accomplishments, especially naming the meds correctly with only minor hints.

We are reading a Judy Blume book now called Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. I’m not sure where we got the recommendation but its working out much better than the Toni Braxton story. This one is funny and fast paced and full of young girl things that Janet easily relates to. She had lots of good giggles tonight and that always makes it a little easier to say goodnight. Praying for a good rest tonight and for a good visit with Dr. Miller tomorrow.

Janet, A Success Story. July 6. #TSJ Good Friend

This morning was the opposite of Saturday as we both slept in rather than getting up early to watch tennis. Janet had a shower and is manoeuvring around the bathroom much better than when we first attempted showers here. I can remember practically carrying her in some cases, now I’m just a bit of a support.

It was just after ten by the time we were out making breakfast and we put our recorded version of the Gentlemen’s Championship of Wimbledon on. We let it play while we made and ate breakfast then Janet had her weekly Skype session with Mary/Gaga then we focused on the tennis. Janet impressed me over and over with her increasing knowledge of the game as well as her understanding of what was happening moment to moment. Her best comment came in the third set when she observed that Roger Federer was making most of his first serves and Novak Djokovic wasn’t. Brilliant.

I wasn’t planning on sitting through the entire match but Janet was really enjoying it and it was an amazing battle so we only sped through a small portion of it with Championship Point coming just as Kiko arrived for a visit. Janet initiated this get together as she had some questions coming out of Tim’s message at Trinity last week and thought Kiko would be a good person to talk to. She’s right, they enjoyed a nice afternoon together chatting away and sipping wine with Janet feeling really happy about it all afterwards and Kiko saying to me how impressed she was with Janet’s memory and social skills. There has been a very steady improvement in those areas the last little while and Janet is always at her best when she’s with people she cares about.

Sunday afternoon with a good friend.

Sunday afternoon with a good friend.


After a very brief nap to recoup a little we enjoyed a Chinese food dinner then made the sad trip back to Connect. The wheelchair was not used at all after breakfast today except for when I went to pick up dinner. Janet walked well, mostly with assistance today as I wanted her moving at a quicker pace and she did a great job on the steps multiple times.

Praying for a long night of healing sleep and an energetic Monday. Thanking Jesus for blessing us with amazing people in our lives.